Mattress Construction

If you think simply about any mattress, you can envision elements of the design that are for support and elements that are intended to provide the comfort you feel when lying on the it. The support layer(s) starts at the bottom of the mattress and extends up through the middle while the comfort layer(s) take over towards the top of the mattress and extend to the very top surface that contacts your body.

Innerspring Mattress

As the name suggests, an innerspring mattress has springs inside it. The springs can be designed an infinite numbers of ways but in all cases, the springs are the support layer or foundation of this type of mattress. The comfort layers are fabrics, foams and different upholstery layers to provide cushion and comfort on top of the supporting coil foundation.

Memory Foam Mattress

A memory foam mattress is constructed from different layers of foam. A thicker slab of polyurethane foam typically makes up the support layer upon which the comfort layers are applied. The top comfort layer will be a “memory foam” or a specialty foam that returns to its original shape after being compressed from laying on it. This is the memory aspect of memory foam. It remembers its original shape and returns to it.

Design Theory

Innerspring Mattress

Spring mattresses provide support by pushing back against your body with equal force from an array of springs. You can vary the number of springs, the force required to compress a spring (shape and wire gage) and how individual springs are linked together however you cannot adjust the force that an individual compressed spring exerts.

This is a fundamental flaw of innerspring mattresses. Large and heavy areas of your body like your shoulders and hips maximize spring compression (you sink down) while less massive areas like your arms and lower legs and your head to some degree do not compress very far at all.

Your spine is not held in a neutral position for optimum comfort. Your spine is curved because of the difference in spring force that occurs due to very nature of the innerspring support layer. If you wake up with a stiff back or sore all over, this may be the reason.

A major complaint from people with sleep problems is that they toss and turn all night due to body parts being irritated and falling asleep. You know, your shoulder hurts so you roll over or your hips start to fall asleep so you reposition yourself. This is from the springs exerting higher forces to your heavier body parts due to the very nature of the innerspring design.

Here is a pressure scan of a 150 lb woman lying on her back on an innerspring bed. Red indicates the areas of highest pressure. This is where blood circulation will be limited, ultimately irritating the body part and causing you to reposition your body.

End result, interrupted sleep.

Memory Foam Mattress

The foam mattress provides support by pushing back against your body as it indents into the mattress from your body shape and weight. Foam mattresses typically are multi-layer sandwiches of foam with the top layer being the memory foam. The base layer is usually the thickest layer and also the densest foam material. Subsequent layers are added to achieve different objectives like comfort, air circulation and how the foam envelops your body.

The end result is a design that provides continuous and customized support to your body no matter what position you sleep in or how big or small you are.

Here is a pressure scan of the same 150 lb woman lying on her back on a memory foam bed. Note the differences in the pressures being exerted on her body. She is far less likely to have to roll over to relieve high pressure irritations in the memory foam bed.

End result, uninterrupted, restful sleep.

Features and Benefits

Everyone is different. We are different sizes, shapes, weights and have different sleeping preferences. Some like firm beds while others want a more squishy, sink into it feel. Others are in the middle. And then there is sleeping position. Everyone is different and this puts an almost impossible demand on mattress performance. A single mattress cannot satisfy all customers so each manufacturer will offer a line up designed to address the different concerns of the customer.

Be responsive to my personal sleep conditions

A foam mattress is just better at providing this feature. The very personalized comfort that you are looking is what memory foam mattress design is all about. Tall or short body, heavy or light body weight, back sleeper, stomach sleeper or anywhere in between, sleeping hot or cool can all be accommodated by a properly designed memory foam mattress.

Minimize pressure points on the shoulders, hips and head

This is an important factor. The main reason you toss and turn all night is because your body becomes irritated by the high forces being exerted against body parts that are not properly supported. The memory foam mattress is excellent at reducing these pressure points and the end result is you experiencing a calmer, undisturbed sleep session. You will be better rested from less tossing and turning. This is the essence of good sleep.

Even support provides for a neutral spine during sleep

If you wake up stiff and sore every morning, you are sleeping on a mattress that does not conform to the shape of your body. Your body never reral;ly relaxes during the night so you wake up stiff, with aches and pains and usually more tired that when you went to bed. A memory foam mattress provides the even support your body desires no matter what your sleeping position is. This provides for a more relaxed, deeper sleep and you wake up refreshed and well rested.

Don’t be disturbed by motion from your sleeping partner

Another big complaint of innerspring mattress sleepers is that motion by their sleeping partner (like rolling over) transfer motion to their side of the bed and interrupts their sleep cycle. Memory foam mattresses do not transfer motion from one side of the bed to the other. If your partner outweighs you by 100 lbs and moves to the middle of the bed, you will not roll downhill to the middle like you do with an innerspring mattress. The end result is better undisturbed sleep which makes you feel well rested upon waking.

Pros and Cons

Innerspring Mattress

Pros

The primary benefit of a spring mattress is cost. It is very cheep (like $13) to produce the spring core to an innerspring mattress. This is the main reason innerspring mattresses are still offered today. There is a lot of profit in cheaply constructed mattresses.

Light weight. A spring mattress is significantly lighter than a memory foam mattress when new. However, innerspring mattresses gain a lot of weight over time by absorbing sweat, body oils, skin cells, dust and dirt. A 10 year old spring mattress may weigh twice as much as it did when new (gross).

Cons

Innerspring mattresses lose up to 16% of their support the first year alone.

Innerspring mattresses begin to sag in the middle (where you sleep) by years 2 to 3.

Innerspring mattresses do not support the spine evenly so you are likely to wake up feeling tight and sore.

The inner core area of an innerspring mattress is a prime breeding ground for dust mites and bed bugs.

Cons

Memory foam mattresses are typically more expensive than innerspring mattresses because the cost of the foam is quite high. High quality foam is expensive. You cannot get a cheap memory foam mattress that will be worth a darn. An experienced furniture retailers, we can attest to this fact. It is also true in higher end furniture like sofas and chair. The foam is often the most expensive item in the piece. Cheaper companies cut corners on the foam (due to cost) and this is why cheap sofas and chairs will sag after just a few years in service.

Start Here buy Mattress

Get the Best Sleep of Your Life Without Wasting Your Precious Time or Money

You Desperately Need a New Mattress – Find Out How to Get the Most Comfort for Your Money

First, check out the About page to learn a little bit about who we are an why you don’t have spend your inheritance just to get a quality mattress.

Second, take a moment to sign up for our weekly email alert. You’ll get a couple of emails about “how to buy a mattress” and then a short, weekly blurb about the latest in sleep systems and occasionally coupons and special offers. This is the simplest way to become a sleep expert prior to buying your next mattress.

Third, get connected with us on the social networks. Like our Facebook page to stay in touch. We do a lot of FB promotions so this is a great way to make sure you can take advantage of the latest offers. Plus 1 our Google + page if you are a google user. Subscribe to our YouTube channel if you like to learn by listening rather than reading. And check out our Pinterest page where we post a lot of our promotions and great articles about sleep and bedding.

Fourth, the Mattress Depot only sells high quality, memory foam mattresses. We do not see innerspring mattresses, futon mattresses, air mattresses or water beds. We think that the current technology available in memory foam mattresses make them the superior choice for anyone searching for relief from their sleep problems. Check out this page on “why buy a memory foam mattress”.

Take a look at our Definitions page if you need a better understanding of any terms used.

Go here if you want to understand our Warranty.

And finally check out our unconditional Guarantee. We make doing business very easy.

Sixth, take a few moments to read this blog post about “how to ensure you get great sleep”. After all, this is the primary goal for most of us buying a new mattress. See how you can get the most out your new investment in better sleep.

Seventh, read our Mattress Buying Guide. This will prepare you for mattress shopping and help you to make the best decision in the end. Just a few tips and tricks to know about when mattress shopping.

Eighth, check out this blog post about “How to buy your memory foam mattress without wasting a lot of time or money”. This is how we recommend our future customers make the most of their mattress shopping experience. Give it a try. You will be glad you did.

Ninth, check out our business page on some of these local directories. We often have special coupons or deals running that you can take advantage of. Everyone likes a deal.

Tenth, come see us as soon as you can. You can drop into the showroom anytime you like (Mon to Sat 10 to 6) or call and make an appointment for a specific day and time. It’s up to you however we do recommend an appointment because we will ensure you are ready to get the most out of your shopping experience. We will send you an email with some great preparatory information to again make sure you get the most from your time invested.

Eleven, after you purchase your new memory foam mattress from the Mattress Depot, have it delivered and begin to reap the benefits from improved sleep, please consider referring your friends to us. We’d love to have a written or (even better yet) video testimonial from you. You can send it via email or just post it yourself on our facebook page or G+ page. Or, if you prefer, review us on any of the local directories that you use. Any way you do it, we do appreciate you doing business with us and then telling your friends about your experience.